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American Astronomical Society

EIN 21-0735173 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood72 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY (AAS), ESTABLISHED IN 1899, IS THE MAJOR ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL ASTRONOMERS IN NORTH AMERICA. THE BASIC OBJECTIVE OF THE AAS IS TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF ASTRONOMY AND CLOSELY RELATED BRANCHES OF SCIENCE THE MEMBERSHIP (APPROXIMATELY 7,000) ALSO INCLUDES PHYSICISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, GEOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS AND OTHERS WHOSE RESEARCH INTERESTS LIE WITHIN THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF SUBJECTS NOW COMPRISING CONTEMPORARY ASTRONOMY.

Income
$21.9 million
Spending
$21.7 million
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
4.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 87%
Employees
46
Volunteers
250
Highest pay
$627,742, executive officer

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 72 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (science, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 48% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 14% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (science, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (9)
  1. $6.7 million spent. JOURNALS - WE PUBLISH THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL WHICH IS THE LEADING SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL IN ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS IN THE WORLD. WE ALSO PUBLISH THE ASTROPHYSICAL SUPPLEMENT, LETTERS, THE ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL AND THE PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL. OUR JOURNALS ARE THE LEADING SOURCE OF SCIENTIFIC CONTENT IN ASTRONOMY AND RELATED FIELDS. IN 2024, WE PUBLISHED OVER 79,962 PAGES OR 5,692 ARTICLES.
  2. $3.0 million spent. MEETINGS - THE AAS HOLDS TWO MEETINGS PER YEAR IN ADDITION TO THE ANNUAL MEETING FOR THE SIX DIVISIONS OF THE AAS. THE MEETINGS SERVE AS A VENUE IN WHICH THE MEMBERS CAN SHARE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WITH OUR COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO FORMAL PRESENTATIONS, WE ENSURE THAT EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED TO FACILITATE THE SHARING OF INFORMATION AND IDEAS. OVER 2,770 REGISTRATNTS ATTEDED OUR WINTER MEETING AND OVER 740 ATTENDED OUR SUMMER MEETING.
  3. $1.5 million spent. MEMBERSHIP SERVICES - MAINTAIN MEMBERSHIP DATABASE AND THE AAS WEBSITE, PUBLISH ON-LINE NEWSLETTERS, PRINTED MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORIES AND AN ANNUAL PRINTED CALENDAR.
  4. $135,314 spent. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: THE SOCIETY PROMOTES BROAD INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY, WHICH ENHANCES SCIENCE LITERACY AND LEAD MANY TO CAREERS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
  5. $327,478 spent. PUBLIC POLICY AND LOBBYING: THE SOCIETY WORKS WITH OTHER SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL SOCIETIES TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF SOCIETY.
  6. $275,528 spent. STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: SOCIETY-WIDE PROJECTS THAT IMPROVE THE OPERATIONS OF THE SOCIETY AND PROJECTS THAT ARE CENTRAL TO THE MISSION OF THE AAS. THE CURRENT PROJECTS INCLUDE WEBSITE IMPROVEMENTS, ASTRONOMY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AND THE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT. THESE PROJECTS ARE FUNDED BY COUNCIL-APPROVED TRANSFERS FROM THE JOURNALS PROGRAM.
  7. $4.3 million spent. SKY AND TELESCOPE: THE SKY AND TELESCOPE LINE OF BUSINESS INCLUDE SKY AND TELESCOPE MAGAZINE WHICH IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY, AN ONLINE STORE SHOPATSKY.ORG AND A TOUR BUSINESS.
  8. $941,589 spent. GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE. IN 2024, THE SOCIETY ADMINISTERED THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GRANT AND SOLAR ECLIPSE PROGRAMS. THE SOCIETY ALSO PROVIDES GRANTS TO OTHER CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS, STUDENTS, EARLY CAREER MEMBERS, PRIZE WINNERS AND SCIENTIFIC EDITORS.
  9. $321,984 spent. JOB REGISTER: THE SOCIETY PUBLISHES A JOB REGISTER THAT ADVERTISES JOBS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS. THE JOBS POSTING ARE POSTED BY RESEARCH, COMMERCIAL , INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS. IN 2024, WE PUBLISHED 1,201 JOB ADVERTISEMENTS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1988.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.